In San Francisco last week Google held their Google’s Pixel 2 event. Along with announcing the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, Google made announcements for new hardware across the board. Also announced at the event were the Google PixelBook, Google Home Mini, Google Home Max, and Google Pixel Buds. Besides the Pixel Buds being Google’s new high end headphones, they have the potential to change the world.
The new earbuds allow for real time language translation which allows for a change in how we can overcome language barriers.
The real time translation feature of Google Assistant can translate between any of the 40 supported languages. In order to start the translation service, all you have to do is press the earbud and say “Help me speak French”. Google product manager Juston Payne on stage said “It’s an incredible application of Google Translate powered by machine learning — it’s like having a personal translator by your side,”
On stage last week, Juston Payne spoke with Isabelle Olsson, an native Swedish speaker, who used the Pixel 2 and Pixel Buds. When Payne spoke Olsson heard the translation in her Pixel Buds. All Olsson had to do in order to respond was to tap on the earphone and the translation to english was played over the speaker of the phone.
Adam Champy, Product Manager for Google Pixel Buds, said “With Pixel Buds, we’re excited to put all the power of the Google Assistant into a pair of headphones you can take with you everywhere, so you can easily control your tunes, get walking directions to the nearest coffee spot or have a conversation with someone from another country without ever pulling out your phone.”
The Pixel Buds will come in three colors: Just Black, Clearly White and Kinda Blue. They are priced at $159 and will be available November in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, Australia, and Singapore. You can join the waitlist here.
